Social Collider Demonstration Meeting as Guest Speaker, 09th November 2019

On the 09^th November 2019, I was at Social Collider, as guest speaker.  This was a demonstration meeting, with a view to chartering a club.

The Toastmaster of the Day was Raymond Zhang, the table topics master was Mohamad Saddiqi bin Mohamad Said, the timer was Jenny Rachel Wan, the ah counter was Lisa Wong Pui Wan, and the language evaluator was Margrette Lo Foong Quan.

The meeting began with an opening address by Russ Neu Wee Teck, giving all of those attending a background of Social Collider, as a start-up incubator.  He alluded on the parable of teaching a man to fish, and explicitly stated that his role is to be a fishmonger.  His passion and dedication to changing the world for a better place is evident.

The Division A Director, Celia Jacqueline Lim, touched on the importance of being able to communicate effectively, particularly in pitching for funds, and addressing stakeholders.

Cindy Gan Chia Ee spoke of her journey to becoming a better leader, through becoming a better communicator.  She started out as a nurse, with a background in theology as well.  Now, she is a financial advisor.  Perhaps, she was preparing to sell afterlife insurance in case her patients did not make it, and ended up selling insurance.

Julie Ong P. S. is the co-founder, and director, of Solarite Technology, which patented a low concentrate voltaic cell.  They aim to be a leader in the renewable energy sector.  She detailed her journey as a start-up, and of being mentored in the Shell incubator, the Shell IdeaRefinery.  He presentation was a full pitch, and demonstrated how Toastmasters training is effective.

I gave a presentation on the art of pitching, and what funders and investors look for in a pitch, and how to use rhetoric to enhance that presentation.

Eric Tan Shi Wei gave a comprehensive presentation on the Toastmasters Pathway programme, and how it works in the three spheres of leadership, communication, and networking.  He went into some detail on certain projects, and how they apply in the start-up scene.

The evaluators were Joshua Tay W. H., and Zhuo Shu Zhen.

I would like to thank all the people, from Social Collider, and the Toastmasters community in Singapore, who dropped by to support this demonstration meeting.  This also included my friends representing private funding groups.  We are now looking to organise to get the club chartered.  The sponsoring clubs are AIA Toastmasters Club and Kampong Kembangan Toastmasters Club.

Division A Workshop as Trainer, 12th October 2019

On the 12^th October 2019, I was a trainer, at the District 80 Division A workshop.

The organising chairs were Raymond Zhang, and Ernest Lim.  The Toastmaster of the Day was Thomas Chen Jun Ying.  The timer was Kent Abrenica.

Celia Jacqueline Lim, the Division A Director, gave the opening address, welcoming all participants, and set the scope of training.

Hyder bin Muhammad Taufik gave an insightful presentation on the use of body language, and stage presence to command the audience.  He had many take-aways that were subscribable, and relevant, for the audience, and provided the slides for free.

I spoke on the art of rhetoric, how we channel the speaker persona, when we address any audience.  I gave a few examples from historical, and contemporary speeches.  I mentioned the need to see beyond the bubble of Toastmasters, and approach the science of rhetoric from the perspective of practical application in the real world, whether corporate, or social.

Ng Kin Foong engaged the audience, and addressed the use of mastering table topics in the corporate world, which is very useful, and makes what we do, at Toastmasters, relevant.  He drew on his vast experience as a contestant, trainer, and a man of letters to advance his argument in a coherent manner.

The attendance was good, and the programme was well-received.

District 80 Division A Club Officer Training 1: Ahead of Schedule, No Excuses

On 13^th July 2019, District 80 Division A held Club Officer Training 1 at EASB Auditorium.  Thanks go to every club that sent a representative.  District Director Ernest Chen, DTM, and Club Growth Director Jackson Chua, DTM, both visited.

The Trainers and the Breakout Roles

Celia Lim, DTM, Raymond Zhang, DTM, and Clement Chio, DTM, served as primary trainers.  Trainers and Area Directors then ran breakout sessions for each Executive Committee role.  Mithun Malani, DTM, covered President.  I covered Vice-President, Education.  Joshua Tay covered Vice-President, Membership.  Raymond Zhang, DTM, covered Vice-President, Public Relations.  Clement Chio, DTM, covered Secretary.  Thomas Chen covered Treasurer.  Celia Lim, DTM, covered Sergeant-at-Arms.

Special thanks to Li Shan Shan, DTM, who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to make the day run.  A training programme is only as good as the person nobody sees, making sure the room, the materials, and the schedule hold together.

What the Training Covered

Club growth.  Membership retention.  The specific pressures corporate clubs face and how to address them.  Raymond Zhang, DTM, also walked officers through the Pathways programme, flagging its slower-than-expected adoption rate directly rather than papering over it.

A training session that names a struggling initiative, in front of the officers who will have to sell it to their own members, is worth more than one that pretends adoption is fine.  Officers walking into their term already knowing where resistance sits are better equipped than officers finding out the hard way six months in.

The programme ran without incident.  It finished ahead of schedule.  A training day this well organised, covering this much ground, ending early rather than running over, is not an accident.  It is what happens when the people running it, named above, prepared.

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Terence Nunis, DTM | Division Advisor, District 80 Division M | Club Advisor, AIA Toastmasters | Past President & Founder, Awesome Toastmasters